Air jet apparatus



Feb. 19, 1935.

H. M. EATON AIR JET APPARATUS Filed Oct. 1, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor, Horace JV. Eaton,

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Feb. 19, 1935. H, EATON 1,991,735

AIR JET APPARATUS Filed 001". l, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invent-07; Harace MI 60 .filw w WW m 3? W Patented Feb. 19, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 1,991,735 Am JET APPARATUS Horace M. Eaton, Swampscott, Mass, assignor to Parco Specialty 00., Lynn, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 1,

12 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus particularly adapted to soften thermoplastic cement on French cord binding which is applied to shoe uppers, and the apparatus may be conveniently employed as an accessory for the folding machines which are used for this purpose in shoe factories.

In certain respects the present invention affords improvements over apparatus of this general type disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 499,466, filed December 2, 1930. As explained in that application, hot air jet devices which were previously employed for treating French cord binding were expensive to install and did not generally afford satisfactory control for'either the air pressure or temperature. It is an important object of the present invention to afford a generally improved apparatus of this type which is particularly adapted to employment in shoe factories having a power shaft under the workbench upon which the folding machine and air jet apparatus are located.

In accordance with this invention, a driving belt or the like may be arranged between the driving pulley for the draft inducing factor or fan of the apparatus and the power shaft. The speeds of power shafts in different plants vary over rather wide limits, and one important feature of the present invention is an arrangement permitting the control of the air current flowing to the outlet nozzle, despite wide variations in the speed of the fan. To permit these desirable results, a suitable shutter arrangement may be provided to control an effective area of the inlet to the fan housing, While a suitable controllable vent may be afforded in the air duct between the fan and outlet nozzle. 7

A further aspect of the invention relates to the provision of a valve associated with the vent control in such a manner that the valve is closed when the vent is fully open to permit the full volume of air from the fan to be vented into the outer air rather than flowing about the heating unit to the outlet nozzle. This arrangement is particularly advantageous when the heating unit is initially energized, for example, when work is being started in the morning, since more rapid heating of this unit to its proper temperature may occur when the flow of air is interrupted so thatcooling by a current of air is avoided until the proper temperature is attained or slightly exceeded.

A machine of the character disclosed herein may be provided with an air duct of the general type disclosed in my copending application, this air duct being mounted upon a suitable casting 1932, Serial No. 635,789

which provides a unitary support for the various components of the apparatus, such as the fan housing, the drive shaft and pulley therefor, the control rheostat, fuses, switch, air duct, signal light, and the like. Thus this invention affords a machine having all of its essential parts supported by a unitary casting which may be conveniently attached to the workbench adjoining a' folding machine and may be driven from the power shaft below the bench.

' In the accompanying drawings:

Fig.1 is a front elevation of a portion of the apparatus, a part of the air duct being broken away and. shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus with parts removed, broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the opposite side of the apparatus with parts broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

and 1 Fig. 5 is a wiring diagram.

In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 designates a casting which preferably may be formed of aluminum and is provided with a boxlike body portion 2 in which certain parts of the apparatus are enclosed. An extension of the body portion 2 affords a substantial cylindrical fan housing 3, and an upstanding tubular extension or boss 5 receives the lower end of the air duct. One end of the box-like portion 2 may be open and internally threaded openings 6 are provided to receive screws to hold a cover plate in place over this open end, thus to cooperate with the body portion 2 in completing the box-like enclosure. Suitable outstanding lugs 7 are provided upon the base of the body portion 2 to receive hold-down screws for securing the casting 1 to the workbench.

Disposed within the fan housing 3 is a suitable fan 9 with blades 10 disposed at angles to the corresponding radii of the fan. This fan is mounted on a shaft 10 which carries a drive pulley 11 (Fig. 4) adapted to engage a driving belt that may extend through a slot in the bench and about a pulley upon the main drive shaft which is conventionally disposed beneath the bench.

A cover 14 is detachably connected to one face of the fan housing 3 by screws 15 and is provided with an annular rabbet 1'7 which receives the edge of a meshed screen 18 that is normally held in place by a split, resilient wire ring 19. Disposed inwardly of the screen 18 cover plate 14 provides a circular portion 20 having openings 21 therein and having a shutter 22 secured thereto by a clamping screw 23. The latter may be loosened so that the shutter 22 may be rotated partially to close the openings 21, thus to vary the effective areas of the inlets to the fan housing. 1

A riser duct 30 in the form of a metal tube may extend upwardly from the boss 5, the lower end of the tube 30 having a telescoping engagement with this boss. The boss and sleeve 30 may be provided with a slot and thumb screw connection to permit relative adjustment in the same general manner as disclosed in my above-identified copending application. Thus for this purpose the sleeve 5 may have a vertical slot 25 receiving the shank of a thumb screw 26 which is in threaded engagement with an internal boss upon the sleeve 30. The lower end of the air duct communicates through a passage 99 in casting 1 with the interior of the fan housing.

The air duct is also provided with an elbow 31, a suitable thumb screw 32 being threaded into the upper part of the duct 30 and extending through a horizontal slot in the elbow 31 so that the thumb screw may be tightened to hold the elbow in adjusted position in relation to the tube 30. The elbow 31 is connected to a cross-arm or casting 40 in which a heating unit 41 may be mounted, the end of this unit projecting through the elbow 31, as shown in Fig. 1. The unit 41 may be of any suitable type containing an electrically energizable resistance element in spaced relation to the inner wall of the member 40, thus to provide a passage of annular cross section through which the air may pass; for example, this unit may be of the general character disclosed in my copending application identified above.

A second elbowdike casting 50 is secured to the upper end of cross-member 40 and provides an air passage 51 communicating with the interior of member 40 and receiving a nozzle tube 41 in interfitting engagement therewith. A clamping screw 42 holds the upper end of tube 41 within the passage 40, and permits adjustment of the nozzle tube so that the lower end of the latter may point in any desired direction, while its vertical position may be varied.

A vertical slot 55 affords a vent in the side of duct 30 and a resilient closure member 56 is mounted so that it may move into a position substantially to cover this vent, as shown for example in Fig. 3, or may move upwardly into a position where the major portion of the vent is uncovered. The member 56 is formed of resilient metal and. has an inwardly bent upper end engageable in any one of a plurality of horizontal recesses or notches 57 (Fig. 3). Disposed within the tube 30 is a clamping plate 57 which is connected to the closure 56 by a screw 58 or the like. A spring 59 is connected to the closure plate 57 and has its upper end disposed centrally within the tube 30. A valve element 60 is secured to this upper end of spring 59 and may move into engagement with a valve seat afforded by an annular member 61 disposed within the upper end of sleeve 30. Thus when the closure 56 is moved upwardly so that the major portion of vent 50 is uncovered, the valve 60 may be moved to its closed position, the spring 59 being slightly stressed so that accurate relative positioning of the valve seat and the notches 57' that hold the closure member in place is not necessary. Under these conditions, flow of air about the heating unit 41 is substantially prevented and the entire air stream may be vented through opening 50. Thus when the machine is about to be started, current may be supplied to the unit 41 and the closure 56 and valve 60 adjusted in this manner so that flow of air about the unit 41 is prevented.

Upon the front of housing 2 I provide a handle or knob 67 which is connected to a rheostat 68 in series with the heating unit 41; a curved slot 65 exposes the contacts of the rheostat so that they may be observed by the operator. A switch 69 controlled by an exterior handle 70 is also disposed in the line to permit disconnection of the element 41 from the source of electrical current. Suitable fuses 72 may also be mounted within the box-like housing, while a signal light 74 is disposed within a hood 75 upon the top of casing 2 so as to be protected from accidental breakage but yet to afford a visible indication of the condition of the line through which current passes to the heating unit.

Fig. 5 is a wiring diagram illustrating the arrangement of the electrical connections of this apparatus. The apparatus may be connected to an exterior source of electricity by leads 80 and 81 which may extend into the housing 2, as shown in Fig. 2. These leads include the respective fuses 72, and the lead 80 extends to the control switch 69 from which a lead 83 extends to the signal light 74.

A lead 84 extends from lead 83 to rheostat 68 and the latter is connected by a conductor 85 with the heating unit 41, a lead 87 in turn connecting the latter with the lead 81. It is thus evident that the signal light 74 is in parallel with the rheostat 68 and resistance 41 which are in series with each other, and that the opening of switch 69 is effective in interrupting the flow of current to the signal light 74 as well as to the unit 41 and its controlling rheostat so that the signal light affords a visual indication of the condition of the heating unit 41.

It is evident that when a machine of this character is in use, the fan 9 is rotating whenever the power shaft beneath the bench to which it is connected is also rotating. However, the consumption of electric current does not occur except when the heater 41 is being energized. Under these conditions the signal light 74 is also being energized to afford a visual indication of the conditions of the apparatus. After the heater 41 has been disconnected for an appreciable interval of time, rapid heating of the same to the desired temperature may be effected by moving the member 46 upwardly to open the vent opening 57 to its fullest extent and to close the valve 60. Thus, although the fan is continuing to rotate, the air current passes outwardly through the vent, so that a cold air stream does not pass about the heating element. The temperature of the latter may therefore rise rapidly, whereupon the operator may adjust the member 56 to a position such as shown in Fig. 2 to permit the flow of air about the heating element, which now has a temperature high enough to ensure the emission of air from the nozzle 41 at the desired temperature. The wide range of adjustment afiorded by the controllable vent 57 and by the shutter 22 cooperating with the inlet openings 21 of the fan housing permits satisfactory maintenance of the air jet at proper temperature despite variation in line voltage or the like, and also permits the supply 01 a proper volume of heated air to the nozzle outlet despite variations in drive shaft speeds and consequently in speed of the fan 9 under different conditions. Accordingly a counter-shaft is not necessary and the fan may be driven directly from the main shaft.

I claim:

' 1. Apparatus of the class described comprising a fan housing having an inlet, a fan within the housing, an outlet duct connected to'the fan and terminating in a nozzle, a vent opening in the side of the duct, a closure movable over said opening, said closure being formed of resilient material and being selectively engageable with any one of a plurality of recesses upon the wall of the duct, whereby the position of the closure may be readily varied.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a fan housing having an inlet, a fan within the housing, an outlet duct connected to the fan and terminating in a nozzle, a vent opening in the side of the duct, a closure adjustably movable over said opening, a valve seat disposed in the said duct, and a valve movable into engagement with said seat, said valve being connected to said closure so thatthe valve may be moved to closed position when the closure is moved to a position to permit substantial opening of the vent.

3. Apparatus of the class described comprising a fan housing having an inlet, a fan' within the housing, an outlet duct connected to the-fan and. terminating in a nozzle, a vent opening in the side of the duct, a closure movable over said opening, said closure being formed of resilient material and being selectively engageable with any one of a plurality of recesses upon the wall of the duct, whereby the position of the closure may be readily varied, a valve seat disposed in the said duct, and a valve movable into engagement with said seat, said'valve being connected to said closure so that the valve may be moved to closed position when the closure is moved to a position to permit substantial opening of the vent.

4.'Apparatus of theclass described comprising a fan housing having an inlet, a fan within the housing, an outlet duct connected to the fan and terminating in a nozzle, a vent opening in the side of the duct, a closure adjustably movable over said opening, a valve seat disposed in the said duct, a valve movable'into engagement with said seat, and a spring connecting said valve and closure to permit the ready seating of the valve in response to movement of the closure to a position to permit substantial opening of the vent without necessitating careful relative positioning of the valve and closure.

5. Apparatus of the class descibed comprising a box-like chamber, an extension of said chamber affording a fan housing, a fan within said housing, a shaft projecting from the housing and supporting said fan, driving means upon the shaft exterior of said housing, said housing having a wall member, said wall member having a plurality of inlet ports, a shutter element adjustably connected to said wall member, said shutter element being movable into a plurality of positions to vary the effective area of said openings, an extension of said housing providing a boss connected to said fan housing, an air duct having an end portion in interfitting engagement with said boss and having an opposite end portion terminating in a nozzle of restricted diameter, and a heating element arranged in said duct intermediate its ends to permit the passage of air thereabout.

6. Apparatus of the class described comprising a box-like chamber, an extension of said chamber affording a fan housing, a fan within said housing, a shaft projecting from the housing and supporting said fan, driving means upon the shaft exterior of said housing, said housing having a wall member, said wall member having a plurality of inlet ports, a shutter element adjustably connected-to said wall member, said shutter element being movable into a plurality of positions to vary the effective area of said openings, an extension of saidhousing providing a boss connected to said fan housing, an air duct having an end portion in interfitting engagement with said boss and having an opposite end portion terminating in a nozzle of restricted diameter, a heating element arranged in said duct intermediate its ends to permit the passage ofair thereabout, electrical leads connected to said heating element, and a switch mounted upon the wall of said chamber and connected to one of said leads to permit selective energization of the heating element.

7; Apparatus of the class described comprising a box-like chamber, an extension of said chamber affording a fan housing, a fan within said housing, a shaftprojecting from the housing and supporting said fan, driving means upon the shaft exterior of said housing, said housing having a wall member, said wall'member having a plurality of inlet ports, a shutter element adjustably connected to said wall member, said shutter element being movable into a plurality of positions to vary the effective area of said ports, an extension of said housing providing a boss connected to said fan housing, an air duct having an end portion in interfitting engagement with said boss and having an opposite end portion terminating in a nozzle of restricted diameter, a heating element arranged in said duct intermediate its ends to permit the passage of air thereabout, electrical leads connectedto said heating element, a switch mounted upon the wall of said chamber and connected to one of said leads to permit selective energization of the heating element, and a signallight in parallel with said heating element, said signal light being mounted upon the upper wall of said chamber.

8-. Apparatus of the class described comprising a box-like chamber, an extension of said chamber affording a fanhousing, a fan within said housing, a shaft projecting from the housing and supporting said fan, driving'means upon the shaft exterior of said housing, said housing having a wall member, said wall member having a plurality of inlet ports, a shutter element adjustably connected to said wall member, said shutter element being movable into a plurality of positions to vary the effective area of said ports, an extension of said housing providing a boss connected to said fan housing, an air duct having an end portion in interfitting engagement with said boss. and having an opposite end portion terminating in a nozzle of restricted diameter, a heating element arranged in said ductintermediate its ends to permit the passage of air thereabout, electrical leads connected to said heating element, a switch mounted upon the wall of said chamber and connected to one of said leads to permit selective energization of the heating element, a valve within said duct between its conmotion to the fan housing and the heating element, and means for manually closing the valve to interrupt flow of air to the heating element, thereby to facilitate initial heating of the element when energy is first supplied thereto.

9. Apparatus of the class described comprising a box-like chamber, an extension of said chamber affording a fan housing, a fan within said housing, a shaft projecting from the housing and supporting said fan, driving means upon the shaft exterior of said housing, said housing having a wall member, said wall member having a plurality of inlet ports, an extension of said housing providing a boss connected to said fan housing, an air duct having an end portion in interfitting engagement with said boss and having an opposite end portion terminating in a nozzle of restricted diameter, a heating element arranged in said duct intermediate its ends to permit the passage of air thereabout, electrical leads connected to said heating element, a switch mounted upon the wall of said chamber and connected to one of said leads to permit selective energization of the heating element, and a rheostat within the chamber and having an exterior control handle, said rheostat being in series with said heating element.

10. Apparatus of the class described comprising a box-like chamber, an extension of said chamber affording a fan housing, a fan within said housing, a shaft projecting from the housing and supporting said fan, driving means upon the shaft exterior of said housing, said housing having a wall member, said wall member having a plurality of inlet ports, a shutter element adjustably connected to said wall member, said shutter element being movable into a plurality of positions to vary the effective area of said openings, an extension of said housing providing a boss connected to said fan housing, an air duct having an end portion in interfitting engagement with said boss and having an opposite end portion terminating in a nozzle of restricted diameter, a heating element arranged in said duct intermediate its ends to permit the passage of air thereabout, electrical leads connected to said heating element, a switch mounted upon the wall of said chamber and connected to one of said leads to permit selective energization of the heating element, a vent opening in the wall of said duct between said heating element and said fan housing, a closure member movable over said vent opening, a valve in the duct connected to said closure and movable therewith, and cooperating means upon the closure and wall of the duct to permit the adjustable positioning of the closure and valve, whereby the valve may be moved to a closed position when the closure is moved to a position substantially to uncover the vent opeiiing, and whereby the valve may be moved to an open position when the closure is moved to a position substantially to cover said vent opening.

11. Apparatus of the class described comprising a base having a box-like chamber portion and an integral fan housing, a fan disposed within the housing, a shaft supporting the fan and extending from the housing, a drive pulley upon the shaft, an air duct extending from the housing and terminating in a nozzle, an electrical heating element in said duct between its connection with the housing and the nozzle, a switch unit carried by the box-like chamber portion, a rheostat within said portion and having an exterior handle to permit manipulation thereof, and a signal light above said portion, said signal light being connected in parallel with the rheostat and heating element, and said switch being arranged to interrupt flow of current through said light as well as through the rheostat and unit, whereby a hot air jet may emanate from the nozzle due to the heating effect of the heating unit and due to the air draft received from the fan.

12. Apparatus of the class described comprising a casting having a box-like chamber portion and an integral fan housing, a fan disposed within the housing, a shaft supporting the fan and extending from the housing, a drive pulley upon the shaft, an air duct extending from the housing and terminating in a nozzle, an electrical heating element in said duct between its connection with the housing and the nozzle, a switch unit carried by the box-like chamber portion, a rheostat within said portion and having an exterior handle to permit manipulation thereof, and a signal light above said portion, said signal light being connected in parallel with the rheostat and heating element, and said switch being arranged to interrupt flow of current through said light as well as through the rheostat and unit, said air duct having a plurality of adjustably connected sections to permit ready adjustment of the posi tion of the nozzle whereby a hot air jet may emanate from the nozzle in practically any desired direction.

HORACE M. EATON. 

